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Maps on a globe don't work that way. If an image goes off the left or right hand side, it wraps around to the far side. If it goes off the top, it must reappear at the top further along and come back down.

In addition, we have the Lands of Ice and Fire map book previews which show a very different outline of Essos.

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Maps on a globe don't work that way. If an image goes off the left or right hand side, it wraps around to the far side. If it goes off the top, it must reappear at the top further along and come back down.

In addition, we have the Lands of Ice and Fire map book previews which show a very different outline of Essos.

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Here. The world map is at the bottom on the right-hand side, just above the lowest map. It's turned on its side (so Westeros is running from right to left at the top of the map). This is an outline I assembled based on it.

Also.... my map does work:

So the Yi Ti area is at the south pole and the rest of the continent rises northwards with Asshai on the opposite hemisphere? That doesn't track with what is said or indicated elsewhere in the books.

The Lands of Ice and Fire map apparently has Asshai and the Shadow Lands shown on it, right in the bottom-right corner, which is much closer than the other side of the world.

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Do we know whether Braavos engages in trade along the Northern Coast of Essos?

Are there any major civilizations along this expansive coastline, and is it not perhaps a more direct route to the East than having to sail all the way down the Narrow Sea, around Lys and Volantis, past Valyria, past Slavers Bay and past Qarth through the Jade Gates into the Jade Sea?

Is Braavos not able to use an alternate route around the North coast of Essos?

They are a huge naval power and are uniquely situated on the northern tip of Essos to be able to utilize such a route. Much like Carthage was able to monopolize the Atlantic coastlines of Europe and Africa in antiquity.

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Do we know whether Braavos engages in trade along the Northern Coast of Essos?

Are there any major civilizations along this expansive coastline, and is it not perhaps a more direct route to the East than having to sail all the way down the Narrow Sea, around Lys and Volantis, past Valyria, past Slavers Bay and past Qarth through the Jade Gates into the Jade Sea?

Is Braavos not able to use an alternate route around the North coast of Essos?

They are a huge naval power and are uniquely situated on the northern tip of Essos to be able to utilize such a route. Much like Carthage was able to monopolize the Atlantic coastlines of Europe and Africa in antiquity.

That northen route probably isn't safe during the long winters.And anyway, according to the lattest maps, it seems that route to Asshai would be at least four times longer than the southern one.

But maybe they can reach Samyria and Bayasabhad and other eastern countries through the northen route; if that's so, the Braavosi probably keep that northen route closed to the ships from other countries, much like Venetia did.

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Again, I haven't seen any official maps with Ashai on them... so I put forth my best guess. Of course... knowing the RR Martin... this world may just be FLAT.

GRRM has said quite a few times that it's a spherical planet, probably a bit larger than our world.

Do we know whether Braavos engages in trade along the Northern Coast of Essos?

I imagine so. Braavos probably trades extensively with Lorath to the east, and we know that the Ibbenese have colonies on the north coast of Essos (probably in that 'Footprint' area north of Vaes Dothrak on the HBO map). I get the impression it's more of a case of the Ibbenese sailing west to trade with the Free Cities and Westeros rather than vice versa. What lies on the north coast of Essos east of Ibben is unknown, but I'm going to go with 'not a lot'.

Are there any major civilizations along this expansive coastline, and is it not perhaps a more direct route to the East than having to sail all the way down the Narrow Sea, around Lys and Volantis, past Valyria, past Slavers Bay and past Qarth through the Jade Gates into the Jade Sea? Is Braavos not able to use an alternate route around the North coast of Essos?

I think the comparison would be to put Braavos where Amsterdam is and suggest it would be easier to sail to the Indian Ocean/Jade Sea by going round the north coast of Eurasia, right past China and Indonesia, rather than the more direct route through the Med, Suez and Red Sea. Maybe you could do it, but it would take far longer, be more dangerous, be a lot colder and be much more trouble than it's worth.

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Using the HBO map as a basis for placing Asshai and Yi Ti (or even Qarth and the Jade Sea) is futile. GRRM has drastically altered the world map so everything east of Lhazar has been altered. We will see the results in The Lands of Ice and Fire, due out in early November.

This sneak preview shows how drastic the change has been (the world map is in the bottom-left): the Jade Sea is now south of Essos rather than a massive indentation in the middle of it. Qarth is now on its north-western coast, not its south-western. The Dothraki Sea has been extended east and south and there is a new, massive mountain range dividing the Dothraki Sea from as-yet-unknown lands to the east.

Here's a clearer version of these changes. Asshai is quite distant from Qarth, but it does match GRRM's statement that Asshai is as far from Qarth as Qarth is from Valyria.

In short, I would put a delay on any further map making efforts until The Lands of Ice and Fire comes out in just three months. It should clear a lot of things up.

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there actually is a fourth land mass, called ulthos, that rr martin sarcasticly said, Asked whether this was another continent, Martin replied, "Well, it's a large landmass. I am a little unclear on the formal definition of 'continent' as opposed to 'big island.'